Affordable Pocket Field Audio Recorder

macrumors 65816

I'm looking at getting an audio recorder that could work well in a loud environment. I work at a paper mill and the machines are quite loud (120db). I want to capture some of the noises of the machines working which will be turned into an ambient soundscape.

Some Questions:
- Are there good recorders that can be used while in a pocket? If my pants rub up against the device, will that pretty much ruin my recording?

- Are there some affordable devices that can be used in environments hotter than 120ºF?

I'm a complete audio field recording novice incase you couldn't tell. I don't need HD sound, if some hiss comes up, so be it. I also don't want to spend more than $250.

macrumors 603

I have the Zoom H1 too, and really like it. The sound is amazing for it's price.

Nothing is going to work fantastically in a pocket - since it will pick up movement noise. If you don't want to be obvious that you're recording, it would work fine inside of a bad or jacket if you could take that off and leave it somewhere.

macrumors regular

First off all Portable Handheld Recorders are going to susceptible to clothing noise or any sort of 'brushing' type noise. That said I doubt your boss(es) would care if you recorded the noise would they? I mean unless you clandestinely harboring a OSHA type noise lawsuit...are you?<g>

If they didn't just put it near the machines on something not vibrating and relatively stable. Heat is an issue...most will tolerate up to 110 degrees...but anything you can't live in they can't.

Anyway there are many...Tascam DR series are my favorites for ease of use, bulit in formats (MP3 and Wav) Mic quality etc......I like the DR-7...flash recorder ( records to a SDHC flash card) - small and only about $75 online.
The 2gb flash card that comes with them will give you about 75 hours straight in MP# 128k format.

You can spend more...but you won't notice a quality difference until about $200 - $300 more.

macrumors regular

Olympus LS-10. Hands-down the best recorder for the money, now that the LS-11 is out. (LS-11 has a larger internal memory, and threshold recording - recording starts when your audio reaches a certain volume!)

thread startermacrumors 65816

macrumors regular

If sound quality is not the highest priority, I suggest checking if your phone has a recorder before spending any money. Older phones will surely sound very bad, but for example an iPhone will catch a pretty decent (mono) recording, even with the internal microphone.

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